Girls -- Juvenile fiction; World War, 1914-1918 -- Juvenile fiction
Beyond the neatly-kept lawn with its bricked walks bordered with
nasturtium beds was the stretch of garden in which the children had
their individual beds. Peggy explained to Keineth that Billy this year
had planted his bed to radishes and onions; that she had put in her
seed in a pattern of her own designing which, when she separated the
weeds from the flowers would look like a splendid combination of a new
moon and the Big Dipper. Barbara and Alice had planted asters and
snapdragon because mother liked them for the house. Back of the flower
beds was a patch of young corn, and behind that the vegetable garden
which supplied the table. At one side of the garden was the barn where
poor Genevieve was now resting her rickety bones, and next to that was
a shed.
Billy was busy at work repairing the door of the shed. As the girls
came in sight he waved to them. They started on a run.
"Let's give Ken a ride on Gypsy," he called out. He dropped his hammer,
disappeared in the barn and came out leading a shaggy pony.
At the sound of the nickname carelessly bestowed upon her Keineth drew
in her breath quickly. Right at that moment she wanted more than
anything else in the world that these children should not think she was
a bit different from them! Already her plain serge dress had been hung
away and she was in a blouse and bloomers like Peggy's!
"I don't know," began Peggy doubtfully.
"Oh, please, let me have a ride," broke in Keineth in a voice she tried
to make as careless as Billy's own.
"We always ride Gypsy bareback--climb up here on these boxes!"
Keineth stepped upon the boxes, Billy wheeled the pony around and
Keineth bravely swung one leg over the pony's back, taking the halter
in her hand as she did so. Billy gave the pony a sound slap on the
shoulder and off they flew!
Never in her life had Keineth been on a horse's back, but she had
caught the challenge in Billy's laughing eyes and her soul flamed with
daring. She clenched her teeth tightly and, because she was in mortal
terror of slipping off from the pony, she gripped her knees with all
her might against his shaggy sides. In a funny little gallop--very like
a rocking horse--he circled the house, while from the shed Billy and
Peggy shouted to her encouragingly.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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